The Last of the GPO

The General Post Office building opened on the eastern side of St Martin's-le-Grand in 1829. Designed by Robert Smirke, architect of the British Museum, this exceptional building was closed in 1910 and demolished two years later.

This print, recording the demolition, is regarded as Henry Rushbury's first important etching. It was completed at a time when he tended to concentrate on landscapes. Buildings did not become a regular feature of his work until after 1920.

Rushbury trained in draughtsmanship at the Birmingham School of Art and, briefly, at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. It was in London that he met the painter Francis Dodd, who introduced him to printmaking.

Here the technique used is drypoint, a printmaking method that involves scratching an image into the surface of a metal plate using a burin, a needle-like instrument. Unlike engraved lines, which are very smooth and hard-edged, drypoint scratching results in a soft, blurry line quality.